Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by csmiley:

4/5 rDev +5.8%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours nearly black with a sliver of dark brown that sneaks through around the edges. The tan head comes to about two fingers deep and hangs out on top of the beer for a while. It eventually settles to a thick cap. Lacing is pretty impressive. Krunkles is nice looking brew overall.

S - Starts with a hint of smokiness. Then some citrus comes in quick and strong. Getting quite a bit of orange along with some bitter orange zest. Might be some red grapefruit mixed in as well but that is harder to single out. Light roasted aromas bring it to a close. One word...interesting.

T - Hops dominate the flavor right from the start. Mostly citrus with notes of blood orange that turn bitter and border on lemon. Charcoal comes and goes in the flavor midway to end. Alcohol has a presence but it's pretty mild compared to the other flavors. Somehow, the citrus morphs into a dark fruit at the very end. Mostly cherry is what I'm getting. As it warms, the distinction between roasted and fruit flavors seems to fall away making it even better.

M - Lighter bodied. Carbonation is smooth yet still effervescent. Finish is a little odd. Sweet and smokey are the two words that immediately come to mind.

D - Drinkability is good. All the flavors come together to make an interesting and quaffable brew. The abv seems a tad lighter than what's listed but that only helps this category. Would I have a problem putting away a bomber? No. Would I have another? Yes, but not in the same session. Glad I got to try another of the (usually) solid Side Projects from Terrapin. Much appreciated Josh.

More User Reviews:

This is the fifth Side Project I have tried,I have for the most part enjoyed them.Poured into an imperial pint glass a deep cola color with a nice two finger off white head that held well.A mix of dark bread spiciness and resiny hop in the nose,a light caramel note is in there to.A mix of dark bread and citri-piney flavors on the palate,each hold their own,a caramel sweetness shows through nicely in the finish.Not mind blowing but it has good balance and subtle comlexity.

Body is a bit above medium in texture and carbonation is a creamy medium.

Taste is mostly bittersweet chocolate that is edged by roasty coffee hints. Hops are very apparent and contribute a pleasantly soft pink grapefruit fruitiness. Not as bitter as expected and not at all like an IPA. I agree with other reviewers that this is more of a hopped up porter. Finishes smooth with just a hint of dry roasty bitterness.

I would have preferred a more assertive hop presence here, perhaps like Stone's Sublime. Still, it's a nice sipper and very drinkable.

The beer pours black with an off-white head. The aroma is pretty heavy on the smoke with some roasted malt as well. The flavor is earthy hops, smoke and roasted malt. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not as much hop presence as I expected from the term Black IPA, but this is still a good beer.

A: Pours the darkest brown with reddish highlights when held to the light. A nice one finger off-white head recedes to a persistent film of foam over the beer. Leaves lots & lots of lacing at each sip mark.

S: Smells primarily of citrus hops. Poured cold (~47F), I would think this beer were a single IPA if I couldn't see it. As the beer warms, a hint of the malt bill comes through the nose. When warm, this beer offers a very pleasant aroma.

T: Similar to the nose, the good Capt'n opens up greatly as it warms. At first, it's all hops. While the beer is very tasty cold, the dark malt flavors come out when the beer nears room temperature. It's a bit more tame than other Black IPA's I have tried, but it is still tasty.

M: Heavier than the normal IPA. The malt bill has more of an effect on the mouthfeel than on the taste, IMO. It borders creamy, and it works really well to help meld the malts & hops.

D: An easy drinking BIPA, to be sure. Not too overbearing or overpowering. However, there are better options at lower prices. I paid ~$8 for this bomber, and I would be alot happier with it in the ~$4.50 range. As it stands, I'll pick up Sublimely Self Righteous and save a buck or two. Sorry Terrapin... I Love Ya, but I gotta tell it like it is.

Split a bottle with my boy Kolby whilst chilling at the Library in da Burgh. Did I mention the Library has a rockin' happy hour twice a day. This big bottle poured with a pitch black dark cola vibe, forming a big tan head fill the glass with lacing spread fine and evenly between sips. Aromatics offer up dark roasts with a creamy malt accent, herbal green undertones a touch of pine and citrus as well. Flavor has herbal tea tannins buring dark ale with hopped up bitterness in the backend. Strong alcohol finish for the 7.5% alcohol, I was a bit confused with this aspect. Assertively hoppy a bit hop but nice dark roasted malts work oaky with the combination of the two. Mouthfeel was medium bodied healthy dose of carbonation carried things across the palate a touch cloying at times but this beer had no time getting down our gullets. Solid drinkability, I was hoping to find this on tap, but never did catch it flowing in the Burgh.

12 oz bottle of Capt’n Krunkles Black IPA poured black and opaque with a good size, durable tan head that left splotchy lacing.

Aroma: pronounced hops with faint malts. Nonetheless, appealing.

Flavor: more balanced. Unlike many black IPA;s, IMO, this one successfully integrates the substantial hop load with a substantial amount of medium and dark malts. Its success is due in large part, I suspect, to not going overboard with the ingredients. Terrapin also has done a fine job of matching the malts to the hops.

Pours black with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of lightly roasted malt tempered by good amounts of citrus and pine hop aromas. Also present are mild amounts of smooth dark chocolate aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Roasted malt flavors that are the opposite of rich (but not in a bad way) kick things off and are joined shortly by solid amounts of hop flavors - mostly pine but with hints of citrus. The hops carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall this was an above average beer not because of the flavors but because of the way they played off of each other. This may be the most well-balanced Black IPA I've had (though there aren't all that many). Worth a shot.

Wow well 10 for 10 in the side projects now, wow time flies. This is the beer some think should be in its own style, I tend to agree with them. Why well these tend to be not as hoppy as a true IPA can be, or maybe the just tone down the hops some in this "style"anyway the review:

A: poured into a mug, at 43F straight from the frig. I love the label drinking pirate beer, aye matey. Dark black body, nice tan head.well since there is no style that fits this its hard to call this 1. Looks good to me.

S: aah very nice citrus and piney hops hit you first of course, but there is a coffee burnt like malt after-notes that hit me. as it warmed to 50F it was more malty sweet candies came through.

T: very nice a mild ipa and a coffee stout/porter in 1 bottle or at least it seems that way to me, if fact it remind me of SN porter but a tad sweeter and hoppier. Nice balance of the malt and hops even if its a Black IPA, I really liked it very enjoyable taste. Dark roasted coffee and chocolate blend with added sugar, with hops is what it taste like to me. Some type of dark fruit maybe?

M: medium body and not much carbonation. No idea how old this is. no date on bottle I can find.

D: well did a bomber and its was easy to drink, so I had another one. did not notice much alcohol.

T- The taste like the aroma has some faint roasted malts in the background with the hops clearly stealing the show in this one creating a nice lingering bitterness that leaves you craving the next sip.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a perfect amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is probably my favorite Side Project beer to date. I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to try the next new release from Terrapin!

Capt'n Krunkles pours a dark mahogany color. It's nearly opaque, but not quite. Backlighting reveals some nice burgundy highlights. An off-white head covers the top and rises to about a finger and a half tall. It's fairly quick to recede, and leaves a light coat of sticky lace clinging to the glass.

The nose is pretty good, but is a tad underpowered. Hops are apparent from the first whiff. They're citric and feature a nice mix of grapefruit and pineapple scents. Smells like a little pine and floral notes might also be present. Dark malts are subtle here. There's a little cocoa-like chocolate. Perhaps some light roasted notes. This could really use some more muscle, but smells more than decent nonetheless.

The flavor is better. Enough to warrant a score bump. It kicks off with a bit of cocoa-like chocolate and light roasted malts. Something about it tastes a little charred or burnt. The hops kick in and a nice burst of citrus grapefruit, pineapple, and a touch of mango. Pine and a slight floral flavor are there, but are very subtle. It has a slight bitter kick, but doesn't seem all that bitter. I wouldn't mind more. EDIT: It seems to grow more bitter with each passing sip. Go figure! Alcohol is blended very well and isn't noticeable at all. It finishes hoppy and dry.

Capt'n Krunkles has a medium body. Carbonation is dialed down nicely and it has a smooth feel. I like the feel quite a bit and am very tempted to go with the next highest score, but just can't get there. Drinkability is good. I like the flavor here and it goes down rather easy. I'm splitting the bomber, but would've gladly tackled one alone.

Capt'n Krunkles is a pretty good Black IPA or whatever you want to call it. It has a good flavor and doesn't make any huge missteps on the journey. The nose would benefit from a little more strength, and perhaps the charred/burnt flavor could be toned down a little. Overall though, this is good stuff. Definitely worth checking out if the opportunity presents itself.

Pours a dark near-black with a good off-white head and moderate lacing. Nose is of roasty malts and chocolate, overlaid with hops. Taste follows the nose. A wonderful blend of the roasty malt, cocoa and hops. Mouthfeel is great - extremely smooth and perfect carbonation.

All in all, I really enjoyed this brew. It's just damn tastey and goes down easily. Does it blow me away? Not necessarily. But it's just quite delicious and rolls across the tongue wonderfully.

a - Looks fairly black, pours with about 3/4 of an inch of off white head.

s - Hop resin and some stinky in a good way hop citrus with sweet roasted dark malt. Intriguing, sometimes I get the hop smells easily and sometimes the malt.

t - Sweet dark malt flavors up front, bitterness at the finish and some citrus in between.

m - Good body. Nothing really special in regards to mouth feel.

d - Pretty good. Easy to drink though a little too much malt for me to stick with it all night. Worth picking up if you see it and I will definitely try it again, as it is a very interesting beer. Unfortunately this is the first black IPA I've had so it is impossible to say if it represents the style well.

Pours a dark brown color, with a nice cola colored head that leaves awesome lacing. The aroma has some nice citrus, pine and herbal hop character initially, followed by some rye bread like maltiness, some caramelized sugar and a decent alcohol presence. The taste is similar to the aroma with big, american hops upfront (mainly citrus and pine with a little herbal quality), followed by some caramelized sugar, dark malts with a bit of a rye like bite, a little coffee and some alcohol on the tail end. The mouthfeel is a bit on the oily side, and drinkabiliy is good. Overall a pretty solid black IPA, but not in the same league as Bashah or Sublimely Self Righteous Ale (which are the benchmarks of the style imo).

Pours black, topped with 2 thick and foamy fingers of light mocha head. This retains with about a ½ finger of rigid froth that throws a robust cascade of up on the sides of the glass, settling into some rich spotty lacing. The aroma is floral in the nose, punctuated with notes of pine and green earthy citrus. Chocolate roast and smoky smelling astringent coffee add a rather toasty tang to the proceedings.

The taste is bright feeling in the mouth with aggressive hop character, which lays down some sharp accents of spice, resins, and bitter grapefruit juice, which all stretch the whole way through the profile. Sweetness from the chocolate and caramel provide some underlying balance, while that dark roast is felt mostly in the backend of this. The hops are still definitely the most pronounced aspect of this though and remind you of that with a deep finish of earthy grit, bitter fruit, and dry spiciness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a sharpness to it up front that then gets more slick and oily feeling as you swallow. Most of the alcohol is felt towards the back, with some lingering warmth that seems to strengthen that bitter finish.

Totally serviceable Black IPA here, with strong hop flavors that melded well with the darker aspects of the malts. Just enough smooth crispness to keep the drinkibility up as well. Another solid entry in the Side Project series.

Smell: Huge hop forward aroma, mainly citrus (mostly grapefruit with a bit of tangerine twang). A bit of underlying earthiness beneath the hop blanket, noticeably lacking any big malt aroma that one would expect from something this dark.

Taste: Excellently balanced flavor profile. There is a nice big hoppy citrus blast with some earthy undertones as the beer washes down. Coming right along for the ride is a big blast of roastiness that one would expect in an American Imperial stout. Due to those dark malts the beer finishes very sweet, rather than overly bitter. Although there is a bitter bite on this brew, the huge maltiness prevents it from sticking.

Mouthfeel: Really creamy and slick, has the heaviness of a high malt DIPA but doesn't leave the dry mouth like a DIPA would.

Drinkability: This beer is a huge win for me. I love the battle of hoppiness and roastiness in this beer. Normally a big malt beer like this I would only grab one or two, however this one keeps calling me back...sad that this is a one off.

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Spaten Mug. This brew poured a dark brown (almost competely black) with a one finger tan head. The aroma of this brew was piney. The taste of this was a very smooth earthy flavor that intensified upon swallowing. The hops were very subtle and almost missed. It maintained evident lacing throughout. Overall this was a very nice brew that is easy to drink while still maintaining an earthy flavor. With that said, I would have enjoyed it much more if there was some balance to the earthy flavor. This was still quite good for a Black IPA.